He had shifted his blue-grey shirt round to one side, and with his legs apart was searching the lower part of his belly for lice, when Corporal Marshall came into the room.

‘’ere! Why don’t you get dressed?’ the corporal asked him. ‘Time you was up, me lad. You don’t want to sit there showin’ the ’ole bloody world all you’ve got.’

‘All right, Corporal,’ said Martlow cheerfully. ‘I’m just’untin’ up a few o’ me bosom friends, you know. Wish I could see all I’ve got, meself; they take a ’ell of a lot o’ findin’. Wonder what all the buggers will do when peace comes?’

He rapidly assumed his trousers and socks, and then, after lacing up his boots, took up his towel and went out to wash, leaving even Shem laughing.

‘That was a bloody good supper we’ ad las’ night, Bourne,’ said the corporal. ‘Sergeant-Major Robinson came in in the middle of it, and you’ve never seen a man look more surprised in your natural. ’e was quite wild about it; said the bloody corporals did ’emselves better’n the officers’ mess. ‘e did, straight! An’ it were true, too. We were real sorry you weren’t there; if you ’ave all the trouble you might as well ’ave some o’ the fun. You’ll come in tonight, won’t you?’

‘Oh, that’s all right, Corporal,’ said Bourne. ‘I went into the house last night when I got back, just to ask Madame how you had liked it. She’s a nice woman; and she had all the trouble. I shall see if there’s anything extra wanted for tonight; but I don’t think I had better go in. I shall have a glass of wine with you after you have eaten. Madame had all the trouble; you might put a bit extra in the kitty for her just before we go. What time do we parade?’

‘Nine o’clock. Just muck about a bit in the street to keep the men together. There’s a rumour we may pack up again today, but I ’aven’t rumbled anything yet. I’ve got a sort o’ feelin’ we shall stay ’ere tonight anyway; from what I ’eard, the officers are bein’ told what the plans are about the next show. Then we go off to practise the attack, an’ I suppose in a fortnight or so we’ll all be for the ’igh jump again.’

‘What hopes we’ve got!’ said Shem softly.

‘We’ve got nothin’ to grouse about,’ said the corporal evenly.

‘That bloody man Miller’s to be court-martialled tomorrow or the nex’ day, chap as ’opped it in July. I expect ’e’s for the electric chair all right. Bloody, ain’t it?’

A silence fell on them for a moment.

‘Well, I must get a move on: the bloody orderly-corporal’s always on the run. See you later.’

‘Corporal, you might take me off on an imaginary fatigue at about half-past eleven. That’s if there’s nothing much doing. You can work it with Sergeant Tozer. I thought I might go in about that time and see if Madame wanted anything.’